Summary:
Zip code 71730, covering the El Dorado, Arkansas area, is home to eight schools serving students from elementary through high school, split between the El Dorado School District (six schools) and the Parkers Chapel School District (two schools).
The standout school in the area is Hugh Goodwin Elementary School, a consistent academic powerhouse with a 5-star rating and test scores far exceeding state averages—71.5% of its students are proficient in math versus the state's 44.1%. In contrast, Yocum Elementary School struggles significantly, holding a 1-star rating with the lowest test scores and a 90% free/reduced lunch rate. The Parkers Chapel schools, Parkers Chapel Elementary School and Parkers Chapel High School, are consistent high-performers with 4-star ratings and the lowest poverty rates in the zip code. Notably, Barton Junior High School excels in advanced math, with 95.2% of 8th graders proficient in Algebra.
A key takeaway is that higher spending does not guarantee better results: the two highest-spending schools, El Dorado High School ($14,216 per student) and Washington Middle School ($13,802), have mediocre performance, while the top-performing Hugh Goodwin and Parkers Chapel Elementary spend the least. The data also reveals a stark socioeconomic achievement gap, with high-poverty schools like Yocum Elementary underperforming compared to wealthier counterparts. Finally, smaller high schools like Parkers Chapel (5.6:1 student-teacher ratio) outperform larger ones like El Dorado High (9.2:1), suggesting a potential advantage of more individualized attention.
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